


So Long, Sweet Misery

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Drama, Erotica, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Heterosexual Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Second War with Voldemort, The Quidditch Pitch: Erotic Couplings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-10
Updated: 2010-02-10
Packaged: 2018-10-27 12:43:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10809273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: A chance meeting in the middle of chaos changes two lives forever. Can she hold on while the world is pulling her away? Will he ever feel good enough?





	So Long, Sweet Misery

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Written for HP Canon Fest.

  
Author's notes: Lyrics by Brett Dennen  


* * *

_Daylight lives like a burden for me  
so I escape  
sent it strewn about the street  
beyond the ruins of my ancestry  
Far past the pages of my disbelief. _

Percy Weasley was not a man easily caught by surprise, nor was he often a victim of pandemonium and disorder. He would not call himself courageous by any means, but he would call himself prepared for anything that came his way. However, in this horrifying moment, he found himself at the mercy of both surprise and disorder. He currently sat shaking, leaning his back against the cool marble walls of the Ministry of Magic's main hallway, trying to regain his composure. His arm was throbbing, and blood was gushing from an open wound, his head pounded a rhythmic pattern that the stars in his eyes seemed to echo as they flashed before him.

People were scrambling throughout the Ministry, fighting to get out of the chaos and trying to find safety away from the throng of panic-stricken witches and wizards. Someone had broken in. Someone had freed the muggleborns. Now, the Ministry was awash with Dementors attacking at will, Muggleborns running for their lives, Ministry Officials chasing after the Muggleborns, and innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. All the while, whomever was the cause of the riot seemed to have gotten away completely unnoticed along with as many Muggleborns as could fit out the entrance at one time before the entire facility went back into lockdown.

Percy didn’t know where he fit in the waves of people. He wasn't an innocent bystander, he wasn't a Muggleborn Prisoner, and he wasn't a Ministry Official bent on keeping the prisoners within the vast walls of the Ministry. He floundered with no function with which to tamp down the panic other than to dodge errant spells and try not to be called upon to do his Ministry duty and round up those unfortunate souls currently attempting to be free. Percy gripped his wand tightly; ready to fight, ignoring the need to heal his arm until he knew the danger had passed. Once again, not knowing his place in the world, Percy was bent and focused only on survival until which time he could put himself back together and wear whatever mask the occasion called for.

A thought suddenly struck Percy, and he looked frantically around the crowds of screaming and fighting people to find a head colored like his. His father was in this mess somewhere, possibly injured, and Percy knew at once what his function would be in this current crisis. He had to find his father before it was too late. He had to find him before he was trampled, caught by an out of control spell, or worse the victim of a Dementor. He gripped the wound on his arm tightly, biting his tongue to keep away the pain, and ran with his head down into the center of the chaos.

"Arthur Weasley!" Percy yelled. He could hear nothing over the cries of anger and anguish around him. He continued to shout his father’s name, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late.

Suddenly a piercing scream caught his ear and sent chills through his spine. Someone far too young to be in all of this was in danger. He whipped his head in every direction to try and trace the sound, but all he saw were the bloodied and bedraggled heads of those immersed in a fight. Percy craned his neck, trying to hold himself firmly upright even as he was being pushed in every direction. Finally, he saw the small child.

It was a girl, no older than nine years old, being sucked away by a rogue Dementor. She was screaming so loudly and with such pain that it could have shattered Percy's glasses had they still remained on his head. He rushed over to her, pushing others out of the way to try to get farther back from the entrance.

Someone pushed the girl aside just as Percy reached her, stepping in between the small girl and the Dementor. The offensive creature dropped the small girl and Percy made it to her just in time to prevent her limp body from hitting the floor. Immediately the brave young woman's soul was being sucked out slowly, and she began to writhe in agony.

Pulling the young girl close to him in his arms, he closed his eyes and drew his wand. Percy tried to find a peaceful center amidst the horror of the scene in order to cast is patronus. He needed to rid the young woman of her captor just long enough to get all three of them out. He clenched his fists and pictured a freshly cut fir tree covered in fairy lights, chains and chains of paper decorating each green branch, and a mismatch of glass ornaments hanging from the tips. A small Ginny was giggling as Bill lifted her up to place a charmed star on top of the tree. The fireplace flickered warmly and the smell of meat pies and pumpkin pasties wafted through his nostrils. He and his father sat in large, soft chairs sharing different sections of a newspaper.

Finally, a large, majestic owl erupted from the tip of his wand, casting a warm blue light over everything it could. It spread its wide wings far, flying over the top of the Dementor. The Dementor appeared to shrink and weaken, dropping the young woman on the floor as the owl screeched and pushed it back. Still carrying the small girl in his arms as she screamed and cried uncontrollably, he got onto his knees to try to rouse the young woman. He cast a spell moving her to a nook off of the main hall where the battle wasn't raging. She was even paler than he, her lips taking on a blue tinge and her face cold to the touch. He knew he had to get these girls out quickly.

"Ennervate," Percy said loudly and with as much conviction as he could muster in the fearful climate. The woman shifted, but her eyes didn’t open.

"Ennervate," Percy repeated even more loudly. Still she didn't wake. To his surprise, the small girl, shaking uncontrollably, pulled out a wand. He didn't have time to question her, and just let her mimic him until the combined power of both of their wands woke the young woman.

She screamed something terrible when her eyes opened, gripped with fear. Percy pulled out a piece of chocolate he was keeping on his person due to all the dementors near his office and placed it in her gaping mouth. She closed her lips over it, still whimpering, but her eyes began to focus again almost immediately. Her color began to return slightly. Percy broke off another piece and handed it to the small girl, her small hands taking it greedily after she saw what it did for her companion.

While the girls were recovering in the safety of the small hallway, Percy was trying to figure out how to get these girls out before someone caught them and put them right back into an unfathomable fate. He figured the only way was to slip out unnoticed, but without Ministry robes, they would surely be recaptured at any moment. Percy took off his robe and immediately put it around the young woman's shoulders.

"I need you to try to put yourself together a bit, Miss. You need to pretend you work here until we can make it to the exit. I'm pretty well known; they won't question me without a robe. As for the little one, hold her hand tightly and pull her along as quickly as possible. I don't think for a second she could pass as your daughter, you're far too young, but we have to try. Fix up her hair a little so it doesn't look like she's been kept captive," Percy instructed carefully as he ran cleaning spells over the small girl's clothes. The young woman nodded, adopting an impossibly fierce expression, and began to walk quickly and with purpose.

Percy worried that they would flinch as they saw Muggleborns being recaptured at the entrance. An elderly man was crying out for his wife, his fingers clawing at the marble, as two large Aurors dragged him back through the halls by his ankles. Percy put his arm around the young woman and pulled her more closely, tall enough to look over her head, he looked down at the young girl on the other side to make sure she looked like she belonged. To her credit, she was standing straight-backed and fierce faced as they walked briskly toward the entrance.

"Hold it, Weasley! Where do you think you're going?" Percy froze, pulling the young woman closer to him by reflex.

"I….uh…well…" Arthur Weasley stammered just beyond Percy's line of vision. He turned slightly to try to see his father, and found him looking rightly fearful up at Runcorn. Just at that moment, Percy met his father's steel blue eyes, a look of sharpness in them that Percy recognized immediately. Within a blink of one eye, the sharp look on Arthur Weasley's face was gone, and he again stammered under Runcorn's questioning.

Given the window his father so graciously provided, Percy slipped just behind Runcorn's back and out one of the side entrances. He pulled the young woman behind him, and hoped beyond hope that she kept a tight hold on the little girl. When they had run five blocks, Percy finally turned around, meeting they deep gray eyes of the breathless, dark-haired woman.

"You need to get someplace safe, an now. They are going to look for you again, and if you don't hide well, they'll find you," Percy urged.

"We've got a cabin in Cornwall," She answered, pulling the young girl closer to her.

"Right then, apparate there immediately, there is no time to waste," Percy said, pulling away slightly to give them space.

"I can't," The young woman said, tears forming in her eyes, "The took it, they snapped it in two."

Percy knew she was talking about her wand, and couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling. He didn’t think he could survive without his wand, he would feel like less of a person.

"I have a wand!" The little girl piped up.

"Tabby! Where did you get that?" The woman said.  
"Someone dropped it. I used it to help that man wake you up!" The little girl said, looking both excited and anxious.

"But how…" The woman started, bending down to meet the little girl's eyes.

"I watched him try to cast a spell to wake you, then I grabbed the wand and thought about needing to help you, and then my arm got all tingly and I decided to try it! It worked!" The girl jumped up and down, hardly able to contain how happy she was even after going through something so awful.

"Oh God! Oh god!" The woman sat on the pavement and began to sob, her delicate shoulders heaving under the weight of her emotions. Percy reached out a hand to comfort her, but pulled back, unsure about what exactly to do. The little girl sat down beside the woman and began to comfort her.

"Don't worry, now I'm just like you! We'll be okay," the small girl said soothingly. Her bright blonde hair had come loose and was hanging again in tangles around her head.

"No! You can't be like me! Look what happens! We're not safe, and now they will really try to hurt you! They think you stole that magic," The woman cried.

"I'll help you apparate to Ireland," Percy interrupted, worried that the crying was going to draw attention to them, and even more worried by his own sudden urge to hold the woman tightly against him and tell her everything was okay.

The young woman described the site of their cabin to Percy, and when he felt he had a clear picture in his mind, he grabbed both girls' hands and apparated away from the busy street. They landed in a peaceful meadow; grass going up in green shoots as high as his hips. The meadow was edged on all sides by a forest that shone in red and golds in the late September sun. The contrast between where they were, and the place they ended up hit Percy hard, and he had to stand still for a moment just to regain his bearings. He snapped back to his senses when the little girl began to run toward a small stone structure on the other end of the meadow.

Just as he was about to follow Tabatha, the young woman in his company began to vomit in the grass next to him. He rubbed her back, her hair too short to need holding, and waited for her convulsions to subside. She lifted her head and gasped.

"Tabatha, wait!" The woman ran after the little girl breathlessly. Percy's long legs jogged to keep up.

"But Mommy and Daddy might be here! I want to tell them I have your magic!" The little girl giggled, running faster.

"Oh no…" The young woman whispered.

"Hey, Miss Tabatha, why don't you wait out here for a small moment while I look inside the cabin for creatures," Percy said, trying not to look or sound like he was frightened at all. Tabatha put her fingers to her lips conspiratorially, her eyes smiling as she nodded her head and held perfectly still.

The tiny stone cottage was clear of anything but cobwebs, and Percy came out to tell them it was okay. The little girl lighted up and ran inside happily yelling for her parents while the young woman stood on the stoop, her face twisting in anguish. This time, Percy couldn’t help himself; he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. Her shoulders shook under his hands and he ran comforting circles over her back.

She was shorter than Percy, but tall compared to most women. Her shoulder length jet black hair was smooth underneath her chin and smelled faintly of freesia and cinnamon. She had a round, soft feel to her body, and when Percy glanced down he could see her curves protruding on either side of his line of vision. He immediately snapped his head back up at the thought that he was ogling an obviously grieving woman.

"Did they get your parents?" Percy asked unnecessarily.

"They were trying to keep them from taking me. After they k….ki….cast 'Avada Kedavra', they took both of us to the Ministry. We've been in a cell for 3 days. Tabby didn’t see them die, she has no idea. I can't tell her…I just can't do it." She sobbed, and Percy put her head back on his shoulder.

A familiar wave of self-loathing washed over him as the striking woman cried on his perfectly starched shirt. The people he worked for, the ones who gave him galleons every week, were doing this to innocent people, and Percy was powerless to stop it. By the time he had realized his loyalties lie in the wrong place, it was too late for him to leave, too late to take back all he had done and said. Now he stayed employed at the Ministry out of fear for his life. They would kill him if he left. They would track him like they did the rest of his family. Percy was a coward and he knew it, he was disgusted every time he looked in the mirror.

"Oh god, your arm!" The young woman suddenly exclaimed.

Percy looked down and felt a sudden pain in his upper arm as he remembered he was wounded. Everything happened so fast that he didn't even pay attention to himself. His white shirt was soaked with blood on the sleeve, and the fabric clung to him grotesquely. He hissed and wrapped his hand around the injury.

"I'm rubbish at healing spells, I should go get this taken care of," Percy said, not really wanting to abandon the girls.

"I don't have a wand, but I do have a first aid kit," the woman said carefully.

Percy looked at her quizzically, but she just shrugged and led him into the cottage. Out of a dusty cupboard, she pulled a black back and blew off the years of dust that seemed to accumulate on it. She opened it and pulled out a small packet of something that looked like cream, a flesh colored roll of cloth, and something white and cottony looking.

"Take off your shirt," She said, she looked like she was going to smirk for a second, but then a cloud set in over her again as Tabatha became disconcerted that her parents weren't around.

"I'm Percy Weasley, by the way," Percy said, shrugging out of his bloodied shirt.

"I'm Audrey Oumessiane," She said, tearing open the tube of cream with her teeth. "Tabatha, can you go soak the gauze in warm water?"

"That's quite an astounding name," Percy said. It sounded French, but she spoke perfect English.

"It's my father's name. He left my mother in France when I was very young and she moved to England. Tabatha is my half sister," Audrey explained as she unrolled the cloth.

"I don’t remember you from Hogwarts, when did you graduate?" Percy asked, trying to place her face. If he was being honest with himself, he would have never forgotten a face as striking as hers. She had the most piercing gray eyes he had ever seen, and her lily pale skin was in sharp contrast to her jet-black hair. He felt himself getting entranced in her full mouth and delicate features and had to turn away.

"I went to Beaxbatons. I was born in France, so my name was on the books there. It was all explained to me when I turned 11. Obviously, I'm a Muggleborn and had no idea of this world before I started school," She said, looking haunted at the mention of her lineage. Tabatha brought back the white cottony looking substance…gauze…and Audrey took it carefully in her elegant hands. "This will likely sting. I need to clean this out."

Percy braced himself, and once she pressed the wet cloth to him, he did jump slightly. She put a hand on his bare shoulder to brace him as she cleaned the wound, and his pain seemed to fade at her touch. He closed his eyes and willed himself not to blush. She placed the creamy substance on him and he was instantly soothed. However, his blush spread to his bare chest when she leaned in to wrap the flesh colored cloth around his arm. Her body was pressed warmly against his back and arm, and he had to stop himself from leaning into her. He vaguely wondered if Second Aid might be the feeling currently passing through him.

_"She's just lost most of her family, she's lost and she's scared!"_ Percy's conscience was screaming at him until he finally pulled back from her. He smiled and thanked her politely.

"Audrey, where are mommy and daddy? Are they coming to get us later?" Tabatha suddenly piped up. Audrey looked at Percy and her lips shook. He chanced a pat on her back and she walked over to her sister. Percy stepped outside of the cabin to give them their privacy.

))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))  
 _I rose from my moat  
like a ghost from a grave  
sunken in the salty eyes of the wandering displaced  
I was heading through the mist across the golden gate  
all of my rebellions fall into the fog of fate_

Audrey walked around the small cottage like she was living death. Tabatha barely spoke to her, barely made a sound, only moved in silence around the meadow, her face pale and her blonde hair flying in frizzes around her head like a separate part of her. Audrey was overwhelmed by loss, but the inability to bring any form of comfort to Tabatha was even worse. Audrey gazed longingly at the unused walkman on the kitchen table, unable to bring herself to even listen to music, each note too happy for her despair.

Percy had brought supplies the day after they arrived, and promised that once the coast was clear and he was sure he wasn't being watched, he would bring more and stay for longer. He said he was concerned for their safety, and wanted no one to know where they were. Audrey wasn't sure she cared anymore. Nothing seemed to matter as her former life threatened to engulf her in war, and she saw no new life on the horizon. She moved around each day in a half-life, only keeping herself going for the sake of Tabatha.

Sitting at the old pane glassed window and watching Tabatha walk slowly through the meadow as though she was deep in thought, she saw a flash of bright orange in the distance. Suddenly, Tabatha perked up, lifting her head for the first time in days, and began to run toward Percy. Audrey got up slowly, not really wanting anyone else intruding on her darkness, but knowing that they needed groceries and other supplies. She greeted Percy and Tabatha at the door; Tabatha's hand firmly wrapped around Percy's, a look of uncomfortable shock on his face.

"Thank you so much for doing this. I can't access my money right now, but if I can get to an ATM, I can give you Muggle money to exchange," Audrey said, taking the bags from Percy's free hand. She looked in them, but saw only very small items looking almost like packing peanuts overflowing the bags.

Percy waved his wand and the groceries expanded, filling up their small cottage table. "It's no trouble, Miss Oumessiane, I have some extra money, it's just me at home anyway," Percy smiled kindly, beginning to place the proffered food into the cupboards.

"Don't you have a family?" Audrey asked as she assisted him in putting the groceries away. She looked to her right and saw that Percy had frozen, his arm only halfway to the cupboard shelf where he would put the flour. His face got a red tinge to him and his mouth drew a very pronounced frown. When he noticed she was gazing at him, his face immediately went blank.

"I left a few years ago," he said quietly, walking away quickly into the sitting room. Audrey stepped cautiously toward Percy, worried she had offended him by getting too personal, and reached out to touch his slumping shoulders. She pulled her hand back before she could, thinking better of showing such affection to someone she barely knew.

"Why don't you stay for dinner? It's the least I can do," Audrey said, breaking Percy out of whatever thoughts were haunting his green eyes.

Percy turned to look at her, an immense sadness etching behind the mask he tried to keep on his face. His deep green eyes seemed to sparkle, but not in a twinkling way that her stepfather's always did, this was like he was holding back a torrent of tears. His pale face was spotted with freckles, reaching over an aristocratic long nose that held studious horn-rimmed glasses. He looked like something straight out of Oxford, but further inspection by someone who took the time to look would find Percy's spark of something special, that magic that boiled just below his flesh.

They both suddenly jumped and looked away, realizing that they were locked into a stare.

"I would love to stay for dinner, that sounds nice," Percy started, wandering over to the bookshelf. "Ah! Homer's Odyssey!" Percy exclaimed suddenly, picking up an old tome.

"Just a bunch of Muggle literature," Audrey said flippantly.

"Muggle literature? This is human literature; nothing separates us in stories and words. I, personally, love to read anything from Greek mythology to Dickens!" Percy said, running his hands longingly over the bookbindings.

Percy's words rang in her head: Nothing separates us in stories…the concept almost gave Audrey comfort from the disturbing thoughts in her mind. Since that awful day her parents were taken from her, Audrey had been considering the world she had been a part of since she was 11. The world did not accept her kind; she was often shunned and seen as different because her parents were not magical. And now, here in England, they were actually rounding up people like her and doing awful things to them! Why would she want to continue to be a part of such a cruel and hate filled world?

The question weighed even more heavily since she heard Tabatha had done magic. Soon, this world would be all hers too, and Audrey couldn't let her sister go through the same things she was going through. Magic felt amazing, it felt like life for Audrey, but that life wasn’t worth living if you were constantly in fear of the bias and hatred against your people. Audrey longed to take Tabatha someplace safe, and never speak of magic again.

Audrey went into the kitchen, pulled out the baguette that Percy had brought, some onions, and some other savory ingredients. A little taste of her early childhood is just what she needed now. She found some sliced roast beef and smiled at the rich smell of the seasonings. She set about dicing the onions, chopping as fast as she could to avoid the inevitable tears that came from the pungent onions.

"Can I help you in any way?" Percy said, leaning very closely to her ear. An unbidden chill ran up Audrey's spine.

"That's alright, I've got this," Audrey said, a little too loudly. She felt Percy's hand grace the small of her back lightly before he retired to the sitting room and cracked open "The Odyssey".

After the first onion was diced, Audrey turned away and wiped her hands on her mother's old spotted apron. She stole a glance at Percy on the sofa and her breath caught in her throat. He was sitting on the edge, his elbows on his knees, and completely engrossed in the book. Something about the way he looked, so studious and engrossed, while he was reading made Audrey imagine what it would feel like to be looked at like that. The heat immediately spread through her body and she hated herself for it.

There were so many problems with falling for someone right now, especially a wizard. First, there was the fact that she now was responsible for another life and had to think about Tabatha over anything else. Next, there was the simple fact that she needed to get out of the world, not be pulled more deeply into it. And finally, and most importantly, Audrey had never been even close to anyone before. Not belonging in either of her worlds, she felt lost in both of them. She couldn't help but fear that the overwhelming sense of not belonging would be made worse if she tried to throw love in there. Audrey was alone, and that's the only way she could think to function. Audrey felt the warm tears streak down her face and was instantly thankful for onions.

"Audrey, duck!" Percy suddenly yelled.

"Where's Tabatha?" Audrey said, not crouching down as Percy was.

"I'll get her," He whispered, rushing out the door and trying to remain hidden. Audrey still didn't know what was going on, but crouched down behind the kitchen table. She held her knees and shook silently; waiting for the creek of the door and the signal that Tabatha was safe.

Thankfully, Percy came crawling toward her moments later with Tabatha trailing beside him. He had his wand drawn and handed Audrey the wand that Tabatha had taken. She looked at it in disgust, not wishing to ever enter into magic again after what it did, but knowing she may need it to be safe. Percy rose up slightly and peered out the front kitchen window. Audrey chanced getting up next to him. Two men and a goblin were walking across the open meadow with their wands drawn in the fading September sun. One man appeared to be middle aged and was slightly plump, tall, and sandy-haired. There was another, equally tall man, but he was young and had dark black skin. The goblin had to practically run to keep up with them.

She heard Percy cast a series of anti-detection spells under his breath as the men got closer to the little home. Their eyes were set on their small structure and Audrey knew they were intent on coming in. As soon as Percy finished his spells, however, they immediately switched directions as though just remembering that they wanted to go back into the woods. Percy let out a sigh of relief and slid down onto the kitchen floor.

"I need to get some more powerful spells to conceal this place," Percy breathed out in a sigh of relief. A small whimper could be heard from under the table, and Audrey turned to see Tabatha crying quietly. Audrey held out her arms and Tabatha crawled into her lap.

"Were they going to hurt us?" She asked through her tears.

"Maybe not, but we're hiding and don’t want anyone to find us," Audrey explained.

"But last time they got us and hurt Mommy and Daddy," Tabatha exclaimed.

"I won't let that happen to you guys," Percy said with such a quiet ferocity that Audrey's heart skipped a beat.

"I have to go…somewhere. I need to get the spells," Percy said, and Audrey saw a flicker of apprehension on his face.

"Do you want to stay and eat?" She asked. She felt so ridiculous, trying to ply someone with food like a 1950's American housewife. However, she had nothing else to offer her reluctant protector…nothing she wasn't afraid to give anyway.

"Sure," Percy said, smiling. He patted Tabatha on the head and went to the loo to wash up.

They ate Roast Beef Au Jus while immersed in discussion of their favorite books. Percy loved Shakespeare, Greek Mythology, and of course Charles Dickens. Audrey was more in tuned with modern fiction like Ishiguro, but couldn't help but love Jane Austen's novels. They may have trivialized a woman's life to romance and gossip by outward appearances, but all of her heroines were so richly developed and multi layered that they could rival any modern woman. Audrey found herself forgetting all of her worries listening to Percy's careful speech, his quiet continence, and his pricey words. When he rose to leave, she felt a little stab of sadness and quickly shoved it back down.

"Wait!" Tabatha screeched. Percy paused in the middle of putting his cloak on. "Can you tell me a story in bed?" She asked.

"Tabatha, I'm sure Percy is very busy. I can read to you," Audrey said.

"It's okay," Percy smiled slightly. Tabatha grinned bigger than Audrey had seen since she had to deliver that horrible news. It was really remarkable how resilient children could be.

Audrey got Tabatha ready for bed and tucked her into the old queen-sized bed in the room at the end of the hall, covered in quilts from her grandmother's own hand. Percy pulled up a stool, and Audrey wondered briefly if he would want a book or not.

"I'm going to tell you about Daedalus and Icarus," Percy began. Tabatha sat with rapt attention as Percy recounted how Daedalus escaped the labyrinth he had built, only to be taken prisoner again. How the cruel king that captured them would never let them leave over his land. Finally Percy got to the part of the tale where Daedalus and Icarus were to fly away from their prison with a contraption of wax wings.

"But Icarus got carried away, loving too much the height, the blueness of the sky, and the freedom of the air. He flew too close to the sun," Percy said with great earnestly.

"Oh no!" Tabatha gasped.

"That's right, Icarus' wings melted and he fell back to the earth. It's a sad story, I know, but it is one I'll always remember. It keeps my feet on the ground and reminds me about getting too out of control," Percy said matter of factly. He reached out to pat her head, but Tabatha had jumped up and kissed him on the cheek.

Audrey had to hold back a laugh at the shocked expression on Percy's face. She was already near laughter hearing how very practical and logical even Percy's story seemed to be. Audrey had a tendency to be rash and temperamental, but even Percy's favorite myth taught a lesson against being too brash. She found his demeanor endearing, and again had to press down the urge to reach out and touch him.

She was thankful when he was finally out of the cottage, and she could more easily ignore the pull he was having over her.

  
))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((  
 _Spring time came again  
and Icarus fell  
I flew past the numb lipped nuns who'll never tell  
the secrets of the sailors and their 7 year spell  
I will not fall, nor will my wings ever melt _

The next morning, Percy woke at a practically decent hour, not too early and not too late, and took far too much time to get ready. He shaved, though he didn’t really need to yet. He took a very long shower, though he had just had one the night before. And he made himself a complete breakfast, though he usually just had tea and toast. Finally, it couldn't be avoided anymore. He had to go to Shell Cottage and talk to Bill if he wanted Audrey and Tabatha to be safe.  
  
Percy apparated to the coast and walked the short distance to where he had heard Bill lived. He hoped that the wards would let him in, though Percy wouldn't be surprised in the least if he couldn't get anywhere near Bill and Fleur's home. He walked along the sandy beach, watching the hills rise and fall, until the pointed roof of a small home could be seen peeking from the other side of a large grassy hill. Percy felt relieved that he could at least see the structure. Percy was even more relieved when he could walk up the front steps and right to the door of the home. He paused at the doorknocker: a shell with 'The Weasley's' emblazoned on it. Percy didn't know how he would be greeted, but he needed to do this.  
  
He knocked lightly, and before he could even knock a second time, the door flung open. Fleur stood there, beautiful blonde hair hanging to one side and tied in a knot, lovely sundress covering only a small amount of her perfect pale skin, and blue eyes blazing. Percy definitely couldn’t deny her beauty, even in his apprehensive moment. She didn’t say anything, just pursed her lips and crossed her arms as Bill's thudding boots could be heard down the hallway.  
  
"Fleur! I thought I told you we never answer the door alone! That could have been someone dangerous," Bill scolded, coming into view of the door.  
  
"We have wards, Beel," Fleur said, lifting her eyebrows to him. Bill froze and his eyes locked on Percy's.  
  
Bill looked no different, but it wasn't like Percy expected him to have grown another few inches or something since Christmas. Percy didn’t know what he expected, he just didn’t expect Bill to look so familiar, didn’t expect him to be fresh from his memories. Percy's heart pounded against his ribcage as Bill carefully studied him, his face a mask of emotionless indifference. Bill was the only other Weasley who could manage to at least attempt at hiding his true feelings from being written all over his face.  
  
"What do you need, Percy," Bill said sternly. The coldness in his voice stung Percy, but he felt it better than he deserved.  
  
"Bill…I…I'm so…I need your help," Percy said finally, his mind vacillating between apology and just coming out and saying what was going on.  
  
"Are you in trouble," Bill said, and Percy felt a little warmth at the fact that Bill appeared to be genuinely worried.  
  
"Not me, I'm quite sure I'll manage," Percy had begun to pace up and down the long stone porch as he explained his situation. "It's the Ministry! The clods have gone too far! They keep taking muggle borns from their homes and subjecting them to such cruelty I can hardly stomach going to work. But what choice do I have? Father doesn't even have a choice. I just couldn't handle it anymore. There they were, being sucked to death by the Dementors and I couldn't just stand there thinking about myself, I had to help them. And Audrey is so beautiful and so lost, I just, I need to make her all right. I'll never sleep again if she isn't safe," Percy ranted, slowing his pacing as he realized he had just released an emotional torrent of consciousness onto a slightly amused looking Bill and Fleur.  
  
"I seem to have lost myself," Percy said, straightening up his posture and trying to regain his dignity.  
  
"What do you need to help her?" Bill asked.  
  
"Help them. She has a little sister. They murdered her parents," Percy said. Fleur gasped in horror, but Bill just nodded gravely. "They're hiding in a small cottage in Cornwall, but there's nothing really concealing or protecting them there. They have a stolen wand, but that's not enough. They need wards, and I can't create them nearly as well as you can," Percy finished, looking hopefully at Bill.  
  
"Let's go," Bill said. At first, Percy was shocked that it took no more convincing than that, but upon further reflection, Bill was always one to act on impulse and to trust in his first instinct. Percy led them back to his apparation point on the beach and as Bill gripped his forearm, they apparated to Audrey's little home.  
  
Percy watched apprehensively as Bill circled the small cottege a few times, appearing to take mental notes of the structure. Finally, he raised his wand and a steady stream of jewel-toned light emitted from his wand, circling the entire structure. Percy smiled, but when he looked in the window, he saw that Audrey looked fearful and was holding Tabatha close to her. Percy was curious as to why she would be afraid of someone who was trying to help, but the thought left his head and Bill approached him.  
  
"You've got an anti-plotting charm, invisibility, muggle repelling, and forgetfulness charm, and an anti apparation ward. You'll have to apparate about 200 yards away," Bill started, sighing contentedly at a job well done.  
  
"Bill, I don’t know what to say…" Percy started.  
  
"We need to do a Fidelius charm," Bill said, cutting off Percy's attempt at a thank you or an apology. Percy nodded.  
  
"I can be secret keeper," Percy said. They did the charm quickly as Bill was very adept at security charms.  
  
"Audrey Oumessiane can be found at 12 Cuthbert Lane, Childsworth, England," Percy immediately said to Bill.  
  
"Are you sure you want me knowing?" Bill said, his tone sharp.  
  
"Something could happen to me, and they need to be safe," Percy explained. "Things are getting worse and worse at work, I can't keep up the charade much longer."  
  
"Charade?" Bill said, his voice had lost some edge to it.  
  
"Bill..I…the mistakes I've made, I can never undo them. But give me a chance, sometime, to make it up to you. To make it up to all of you," Percy said, his voice shaking.  
  
Silence stretched out between the two brothers for what felt like and eternity, but their eyes were locked in a stare that spoke volumes. Bill was sizing up Percy's sincerity, and though Percy wanted to shrink under Bill's penetrating gaze, he held his own. He was desperate to right his wrongs at whatever cost. Percy didn't have an explanation for much of his action of the past few years besides his own arrogance and ambition, but he could prove that he changed if he had the chance to. Being witness to the cruel actions of the Ministry had given him Trial by Fire, and Percy would like to think that he could come out of this a better man.  
  
Bill reached out and gripped Percy's shoulder tightly. "Something's coming. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are up to something. I think we'll be fighting for our world soon enough," He said darkly.  
  
"Certainly, the chaos at the Ministry last week was not random. I swear they had something to do with it. They were after something more than justice, though I appreciate that too," Percy said, looking at the warm light now coming out of the cottage window in the dark autumn night.  
  
"Keep in touch? We'll need you, Percy," Bill said, gripping Percy's shoulder's more tightly.  
  
"I'll write whenever I can, though I think we're all being tracked," Percy said, clenching his fists.  
  
"We're brothers, Perce, and we always will be. We can talk in a way no one will understand but us, trust me. Just let Mum know you're okay every now and then," Bill said, and with a pat on the back, he had disapparated before Percy's eyes.  
  
"Is it okay to come out?" Audrey whispered through the darkness.  
  
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Percy said, startled out of his reverie.  
  
"Well, he was casting all those spells and he just looked so big. Not to mention most of the time he seemed mad at you," Audrey said, looking around cautiously.  
  
"Audrey, not all wizards are out there to hurt people. I know you've been through a lot, but you have to know that there's good in our world too," Percy said, putting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"I don't think I can ever trust this world again," Audrey murmured, looking up at Percy, the whites of her eyes catching the moonlight.  
  
Percy wanted to tell her how great it all could be, how great it once was before Voldemort had returned, but who was he to say that? He had turned his back on all the good parts of the Wizarding World for the sake of his own selfish gain. He hadn't even known real, solid goodness for so long that he was afraid he'd forgotten what warmth even felt like. Audrey's face gave away the sad truth that she felt the same as he did. However, in that moment, looking at her pale skin, the flutter of her black hair against the nighttime breeze, Percy had found all the good he could ever want. He made a promise to himself to repair what had broken inside of her if it was the last thing he did. Percy didn’t have to worry about his own soul anymore, the pieces seemed to fit together just by looking at her.  
  
"That was my brother, Bill. He knows about you just in case," Percy whispered, his hand itching to touch her face, but refraining out of respect or lack of courage, he couldn't tell.  
  
"Why did he seem so angry?" Audrey asked in surprise.  
  
"That's a long story…" Percy started; turning his head away from her to hide his expression.  
  
"I've got all night," Audrey said, moving so close to him that he could feel that hypnotic black hair whipping across the skin of his neck.  
  
Percy put his hand on the small of her back, led her into the house, and prepared to bare his soul to her.  _if I could I would wash all these wounds away  
I would surround your room with a sense of mental grace  
I would paint your portrait over everything mundane  
more colorful than Easter Sunday_  
  
Audrey woke up eagerly anticipating Percy's arrival. It had been a week since she'd seen him, and she was anxious just to see his face again. That night when he put the wards up on her little house, she fell in love with Percy Weasley. She fell in love with the man he was and the man he would become. She could see that spark in his eyes, that passion for knowledge, and the recently gained humility that made him seem tragically frail and overwhelmingly courageous at the same time. He had opened up all his wounds, his deepest hurts to her, and she had found him a more remarkable creature because of it.  
  
Percy had to stay away for some time, as there was some Ministry activity in the area, but he promised she would see him in a week. The morning marked a week, and Audrey could scarcely wait any longer. The darkness that threatened to envelope her in any of her lonely waking moments was kept at bay slightly by those bright green eyes. The grief was overwhelmingly at times, clutching at her heart for hours, but it never took a permanent hold because Percy Weasly existed.  
  
Tabatha was just as anxious for Percy's arrival because it meant a new piece of mythology to learn before bed and some fresh food. It also meant that someone was around to do magic. Audrey patently refused to use the stolen wand, not wanting Tabatha to witness any more magic. She was fearful that Tabatha would someday be immersed in this magical world, and Audrey didn't know how safe she would be as a Muggleborn. She would abandon magic and everything about it all together if it weren't for Percy.  
  
Audrey was always very practical. She got decent grades in school, made appropriate friendships, and always made the right decision. Keeping Tabatha safe from the cruelty that took their parents was the practical and easy thing to do. Percy was a wrench in her entire outlook, and Audrey had no idea what she was facing. Nothing about her feelings for him made any logical sense, and she knew she had to get away from the Wizarding World before it sucked Tabatha in and took something more from her. However, amidst the blues of Beauxbatons and the grays of an English sky, Audrey's mind seemed to be lighting on fire, everything sparking in bright shades of orange and red. She felt like she was waking up from a nightmare, but the nightmare still lingered in the back of her head.  
  
"He's Here!" Tabatha shrieked, flinging open the door to greet him.  
  
Percy laughed lightly as he came through the door the shrunken groceries in a bag in his hand. He patted Tabatha on the head and then looked up at Audrey. His eyes were shining with that familiar fire that threatened to consume her. She had to turn away before she blushed.  
  
"I brought you something," Percy said. He pulled out a worn old book. "I've never read it, but you mentioned loving this book, so I thought it could keep you company."  
  
He handed her a maroon, leather-bound copy of "Persuasion" by Jane Austen. Audrey gasped. This was one of her favorite stories, and the metaphors that lay within the Edwardian words threatened to rip her indecision and apprehension wide open. She immediately sat on the couch and began reading, moved to pour over the words and try to find the answers in a book she'd read enough times to repeat by memory.  
  
Persuasion wasn't a very long book, and Audrey knew she could finish it in couple of hours. She needed to read that book, she needed to escape from her world and hide in a place where everything was much more clear-cut. However, as she read on, and the story of Anne Elliot began to engulf her again, Audrey realized she wasn't escaping at all. Austen's heroine is forced to choose the wishes and will of everyone around her over her own happiness. She chooses pomp and station over love and romance. It takes her too many years of her young life before she realizes who she was meant to be with, who she should have been with all along if not for the forces of society and what she ought to do.  
  
Audrey was about to make that choice. She was about to choose between her own fears of the Wizarding World, and her strong desire for Percy Weasley. She knew she could love him wholly and for the rest of her life, but could she really return to a world that had done so much to harm her? Audrey was filled with sadness at the thought that she had no one to persuade her in either direction, and whether the decision would have been good or bad, at least she would have had someone who cared helping her through this awful time. As it stood, Audrey was completely lost.  
  
However, Audrey soon got to the climax of Anne Elliot's tale, and she couldn't help but melt. Captain Wentworth, Anne's former love, has just left her a secreted letter in which he pours out his heart and Anne realizes there's still a chance for her own happiness. Ann immediately seeks him out and they share a passionate reunion…well, passionate for an Austen novel. Audrey wanted so bad to be governed by her heart, to have her own secreted love letter to hide somewhere deep inside of her memory.  
  
Audrey didn’t know she had been crying until she felt Percy's long, warm fingers press a linen handkerchief to her cheek. He had been reading more Greek Mythology to Tabatha, and now she had fallen asleep on the overstuffed couch.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just this book moves me so much no matter how often I read it," Audrey said, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.  
  
"I understand perfectly. I have a tendency to drown in the emotions of good fiction myself from time to time. You should have seen the general malaise I was in after Ethan Frome!" Percy smiled kindly, and Audrey could almost see the uniform of Captain Wentworth covering his tall, thin form. Without even thinking about it, she lifted her hand to Percy's cheek and cupped it lightly. He turned his face into her palm and planted a kiss on the delicate skin of her hand. A loud snore broke them out of their trance.  
  
"I'll just get her to bed," Audrey said, laughing nervously and waking up Tabatha. After she was tucked in, Audrey returned to the living room to find Percy thumbing through her novel.  
  
"What has moved you so about this story? I'll admit, I have never read Jane Austen, I have assumed a gender bias when it comes to some literature," Percy said apologetically.  
  
"Anne Elliot is my favorite Austen Heroine. She reminds me so much of myself. I always do what others want, and I'm always encouraged by the practical decision, the decision best for my prospects, than by what might make me happy," Audrey said, sitting next to Percy and putting a hand on the book.  
  
"I can duly identify," Percy said, a little bitterness in his voice. Audrey remembered the tragic way in which he lost touch with his family and how deeply remorseful and pained he felt over his actions. Percy may be one of the only people in the world who really could understand.  
  
"Anne cast aside a lover because others had convinced her he wasn't worth it. She spent many years alone because of this. However, her old lover, Captain Wentworth, comes back into her life and it is revealed that his feelings for her had not changed," Audrey explained, her heart racing at the obvious comparison she was making and the thought of what Percy might be catching on to.  
  
"He made a silent but dignified gesture to regain her affections, but they had been his the entire time. Ann finally did find her happiness with Captain Wentworth, and the conventions, norms, and pressures of the rest of the world be damned!" Audrey exclaimed, smiling, as Percy's eyes seemed to spark up.  
  
"Would that make you my Captain Wentworth," Percy joked, though his eyes were on her lips and his hand had closed around hers.  
  
"I would say that you are mine," Audrey whispered.  
  
Percy leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers, one of his hands cupping the back of her head. Audrey sighed deeply and pushed her body more firmly against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. The tips of her fingers rested in the collection of soft curls on the back of his head, and Audrey thought her hands had found the perfect place to call home. She felt Percy's tongue brush against her lips and moaned as she opened her mouth, his warm mouth engulfing hers.  
  
They kissed for what felt like an eternity, and in the same breath not nearly long enough. Audrey's fingers toyed with the curly hair on the back of Percy's head, gripping it tightly at intervals when she felt overwhelmed by the entire situation. Percy was so straight-laced, so practical…so like her. And yet, he kissed her with passion and confidence that belied a fire inside of him which threatened to smother them both. As he hand slowly crept up under the hem of her blouse, Audrey felt like her entire body was turning to liquid.  
  
Audrey had kissed in this way before; she did go to school in France after all, but never to this extreme and never with this much emotion behind it. As his hands crept higher on her bare skin, Percy was already entering into uncharted territory. At 18, Audrey was much more focused on getting into a good university…be it muggle or wizard…and didn't have time to date or explore that side of her. The war, her parent's death, her newfound fear of magic, and especially Percy were a blow to her plans, to her way of looking at her life. Overwhelmed was not even covering it anymore, and Audrey felt her body give into the weight of the world as she floated weightlessly toward Percy.  
  
Percy's hands brushed lightly against her breast, and Audrey gasped, arching her back. His hands were so cool on her warm skin, and the sensation created a need that pooled hotly in her center. His fingers toyed with her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra, and her lips glided across the smooth skin of her neck as his body began pushing her back against the cushions of the couch. When her head hit the soft surface, Percy's long fingers flowed down to the clasp of her jeans. Deftly undoing the button and lowering the zipper, Percy continued and Audrey began to tremble. Her nerved threatened to get the better of her; despite her wanting Percy more than she ever wanted anything in her life.  
  
"Percy?" Audrey started as his hands rested on her hips.  
  
"Yes?" He said, his voice so official sounding, it was almost funny to imagine that at that moment, one of his hands were toying with the waistband of her black panties.  
  
"I've never…that is to say…I haven't before…" Audrey stumbled over her words, looking for some sense of balance as his startling green eyes continued to bore into hers.  
  
"Oh…" Percy exclaimed, immediately leaping off of the couch. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to encroach. It was very presumptuous of me to…" Percy began to stumble as he reached for his cloak.  
  
Audrey jumped up, grabbed the sides of Percy's face and kissed him hard, her tongue immediate seeking access into his mouth. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as they deepened their kiss again. They pulled away, breathless and smiling.  
  
"Don't you dare stop, Percy Weasley," Audrey said, kissing Percy again. Percy nodded, a slight smile on his face, and began kissing her neck. He placed his hands on her hips and slowly lowered her jeans and underwear in one fluid motion. Audrey stepped slowly out of the legs of her clothing, her body shaking, as Percy lowered himself fully to her knees. She looked down at his flame of hair, at the spark in his eyes, and she could feel every single solitary muscle in her body tingle and relax.  
  
Percy's long hands curved around her hips, resting on the full roundness of her bum. He pulled her closer to his face, and suddenly his lips were kissing along the soft black curls of her center. Audrey gripped his shoulder to keep from collapsing on the floor, and when Percy's fingers parted her lips, Audrey's body became a ball of tension once again. She felt his tongue brush in between her lips and she cried out instantly at the sparks of pleasure. He continued to lap at her and she moaned and whimpered, gripping his shoulder to keep her balance.  
  
When one of his fingers entered her, as his tongue continued to brush against the sensitive bundle of nerves, She felt a rush of blood and heat go directly to her center. Soon, he added another, moving his fingers apart and stretching her. The sensation of being filled was delicious and she wanted nothing more than for Percy to take her in that instant. The image of him hovering over her, pressing into her, sent her nerves into a frenzy, and soon the familiar tightness was haunting her abdomen. She came whispering his name, her nails digging into his shoulder.  
  
"You're so beautiful, Audrey," he murmured, kissing the insides of her thighs. She tugged at his arms to pull him up, and began to unbutton his shirt, kissing every bit of pale, freckled skin that became exposed as she did so. She undid his leather belt, running her hands underneath the waistline of his trousers and pants as she did and feeling the smooth, warm flesh underneath. She ran her hands up his back and slid his shirt off of his shoulders as he stepped out of the remainder of his clothes.  
  
 _put me on a boat  
leave my inhibitions at bay  
my mind is spilling  
but I haven't much to say  
I was running through the canyons  
pulse the echoes of your name  
you were laughing at me like  
the sun laughs at a flame _

Audrey had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life. Through outward appearances, Percy Weasely was nothing above average, and even might have appeared a little too thin and gangly. However, Audrey saw all of the uniqueness and small details that made him immeasurably appealing to her. His body was long, like a sinewy, winding line of road that she felt compelled to map out immediately. He was dotted with freckles, looking like someone flicked the bristles of a paintbrush on his skin and left a spattering of paint there to stay. His skin was pale, not sickly, but a kind of elegant white that struck out to Audrey like a statue of new marble akin to the ones in the gardens at Beauxbatons. She kissed along his collarbone, the smooth hardness of his skin warm and inviting against her lips.  
  
"You're beautiful," Audrey said in between brushes of her lips.  
  
She heard a faint chuckle and looked up to find Percy blushing, a look of doubt on his face. "No one has ever referred to me in that way before," Percy whispered, avoiding her eyes. His arms left her and wrapped around his torso, the confidence he had taken her with suddenly waning before her eyes.  
  
"I'm speaking in earnest, Percy," Audrey whispered, taking his hands away from him and placing light kisses on his fingers. When she pulled one of the digits into her mouth and wrapped her tongue around it languidly, Percy moaned and appeared to forget all previous pretenses. She felt bolder than she had ever felt in her life, standing their naked chest to naked chest with a man she desperately wanted.  
  
The need for her to take initiative stopped though, as his finger was pulled slowly from her mouth.  
  
Percy gripped Audrey's face with both hands, his lips falling hard and forceful against hers. She could feel his hardness pressing into her abdomen and it seemed to light her entire body on fire. She felt a hot sense of power at knowing that she had done this to him. Audrey reached down carefully and ran her fingers up the hard, smooth skin of his cock, trying to learn the feel of it. Percy let out a strangled whimper in the back of his throat, but continued his assault on her mouth. When she wrapped her hand around him and let her thumb glide over the tip, Percy pulled away from her mouth and groaned, his hips thrusting against her hand to match her movements.  
  
"I need you, Audrey…Gods…want you so badly," Percy murmured as Audrey continue to run her fist up and down his length. "Bedroom."  
  
Audrey walked slowly down the short hallway to the master bedroom. She was so nervous that she barely felt her feet hitting the cold, wooden floor of the cottage. She may have been overcome with desire, but she wasn’t beyond doubting her own lack of experience and feeling a little apprehensive about what was about to happen. When her hand reached up and pushed the door open, she hoped Percy didn't see the very distinctive tremble of her wrist.  
  
She turned around so she was facing Percy as he walked through the door. He had obviously seen her tremble, as his face held a quiet concern. He advanced and let his fingers run lightly along the side of her face. She leaned into his touch and felt a very unexpected lump rise in her throat. The past few weeks had been overwhelmingly painful. Her parents were killed, her wand stripped from her, and those moments were both plaguing her over and over again until she felt her soul falling away from her as dementors attacked her repeatedly…all because of who she was. To feel Percy's gentle touch, to see the tenderness in his eyes, open up gates that Audrey usually kept firmly closed and she let her face find a home in the cradle of Percy's palm for a moment.  
  
She felt his bare skin press up against hers; covering every inch that it could, and she shuddered as the heat and electricity coiled in her body again. She ran her hands over his shoulders and back, resting on his small round bum and kneading slightly. Percy had a small smile on his face as he thrust lightly against her. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the bed. She leaned back slowly, Percy matching her face perfectly as his body followed hers into a more comfortable position.  
  
His hands were everywhere, running up her thigh, passing through the dark curls between her legs, and moving upward to cup her breasts for endless moments of anticipation. She knew he was taking his time, but she almost wanted to shout out that she needed him inside of her. When his lips closed around a bare nipple, the only sound she could find to make came out unintelligible and somewhere in between a laugh and a cry. She gripped his curly head as his warm tongue danced across her bare breasts over and over.  
  
She felt his fingers move to her center and she opened her legs farther in need. He sighed as he touched her, his shoulders tensing under her hands. He spread her lips apart and let two fingers move slowly through her entrance. She opened her legs even farther as the sensation of being filled gripped her. She wanted more, she needed more…she needed Percy. He pulled his fingers out, and when he entered her again, he had added a third finger. This time Audrey felt stretched, and there was a small sting. Percy seemed to sense it and held still for a moment before slowly moving his fingers in and out. Soon, Audrey grew accustomed to the feeling and wanted more as the fire began to rise inside of her.  
  
"Percy…" She begged, bringing a leg up behind him and trying to push his hips forward.  
  
"Oh gods," Percy moaned, removing his hand. His erection slid slowly across her folds, and Audrey canted her hips again.  
  
Percy pressed his lips to her softly, dragging out the kiss with slow and deliberate strokes of his tongue. He slowly drew back, opening Audrey's thighs wider and leaning his hips into her. She reached down and grasped him so that he could fall back down to her on his elbows. She kissed him and moved the head of his cock to her entrance.  
  
"Please, tell me if it hurts too much," Percy whispered, burying his face in her neck. Audrey nodded wordlessly, her nerves threatening to tear her body apart before she ever got a chance to feel him.  
  
Suddenly, She felt him slide inside of her slowly, and she gasped as Percy groaned loudly. She felt his entire body tense under her grip, and barely even registered the fact that her nails were digging into his shoulder. She felt like she was being stretched beyond her capacity, but she also felt that familiar heat throbbing against her center, clamoring for more. Percy's hips remained impossibly still, and he hadn't yet fully sheathed himself inside of her. His body began to shake as he hovered above her.  
  
Audrey grabbed his face and met his eyes. They were so green that Audrey thought they could rival any leaf left basking in the early October sun. He was biting his lip, and a beautiful glow had risen on his ivory skin. Audrey quickly canted her hips up to meet his, and as he moaned with pleasure, she couldn't hold back. She cried out in pain at the sudden, ripping sting. Percy froze.  
  
"Please, don't stop," Audrey, said, fighting a battle within her about whether to thrust up again and risk the pain, or wait for Percy to move next.  
  
Percy eyes went from worried to dark with lust when Audrey made the decision to lift her hips again. The sting was much less the second time, and the pain was slowly being replaced with a new sort of pleasure. Percy began to thrust slowly, his breath coming out in calculated gasps as he tried to hold back from going too fast or too hard.  
  
"Harder, Percy…let go…come for me," Audrey whispered, surprising herself. However inexperienced she may be, the look in Percy's face was so enthralling that she knew she wanted to draw it completely out of him. She wanted to feel him give into everything and melt away the way she had when he was on his knees in front of her.  
  
"Oh Audrey," Percy cried. He began to thrust into her hard, his hips slapping against her skin with every grunt. His eyes closed of their own volition and his mouth became a tight line. Suddenly, his body became impossibly rigid and Audrey felt him fill her. His cock twitched inside of her and she moaned in tandem with him at the sensation.  
  
He pulled out of her very slowly, and Audrey couldn't help but cringe as he did so, the pain spiking back up and he left her body. Percy's hands came up to her face and he kissed below her eyes on the small rise of her cheek.  
  
"Are you alright?" Percy asked, genuine concern floating across his gaze even though his skin was glowing with exertion and contentment.  
  
"More than alright," Audrey said, kissing him gently.  
  
Percy rose and fetched his discarded pants, tossing her his shirt to warm her arms. With a small blush on his cheek and a slight tinge of shame, he did a cleaning spell between her legs before massaging her thighs gently.  
  
"It gets better," Percy said, his hand on her knee.  
  
"It was amazing," Audrey whispered, leaning up to kiss him fiercely.  
  
She fell asleep with Percy’s arm about her waist and his nose pressed into the crook of her neck. Audrey felt safe and content for the first time in a very long time.

Audrey woke to the soft strokes of Percy’s fingertips along her face. She turned over slowly, stretching, sighing, and feeling more safe and content than she had in a long time. The sleep had long since faded from Percy’s eyes and he was looking at her with a soft, fiery glow and an easy smile on his face. Audrey reached up and kissed him like she had known him for years…like he would be around forever.

“I’ve got to go back to that living nightmare known as my place of employment,” Said Percy, suddenly looking haunted.

“Soon, soon you can leave. Soon it will be over for you,” Audrey whispered. She hoped he didn’t notice the tiny quiver in her voice as she said “for you”. Audrey couldn’t imagine the world would ever be the same for a Muggle Born like her. She couldn’t even fathom that the raw hatred she had experienced would just vanish.

“I can’t help but feeling that the day is going to seem a lot brighter,” Percy said, wrapping is arms around her linen-covered torso. Percy got up, and Audrey enjoyed watching him elegantly put on his clothes. He was so careful, so put together, that Audrey laughed at the dissonance. The passionate man who moved within her the previous night was still underneath the surface of this consummate professional like a secret that only Audrey knew.

She kissed him goodbye at the door and handed him a packed lunch, laughing to herself at how domestic the image was. When the bright eyed little girl bounded down the hallway demanding breakfast, Audrey was laughing loudly. She scooped Tabatha into a ridiculously tight hug, her happiness radiating from her.

After a joyful little breakfast, Audrey decided to venture out into the meadow, remember to stay within the 200 feet of the wards. Tabatha was picking the late autumn flowers that sprouted up in yellows and golds among the high tawny grass. She was laughing with delight like a girl much younger than ten years old, and Audrey sighed remembering when she was that age. She was suddenly gripped with an uneasy fear of what would happen to Tabatha when she turned 11.

Audrey! Audrey!" Tabatha suddenly shrieked.  
  
Audrey leapt from her makeshift bed in the field to see Tabatha standing directly in the center, resplendent dark hair shining in the sun. Autumn flowers were floating around her head in colors of fire and leaves. Tabatha was giggling, spinning around, and creating a fan of hair that contrasted to the floating flowers. Her arms were raised as though she was the one commanding the flowers to suspend themselves in the air. It occurred to Audrey that Tabatha really was commanding these flowers. Tabatha was using magic…wandlessly…and without spellwork.  
  
After her momentary shock at Tabatha's display of raw power, images began to flood unbidden in front of Audrey's eyes. She saw the Ministry coming into her house, saw her parents trying to protect her, and saw the flashes of green light as they were killed. She could feel the fear as her and Tabatha were dragged from their homes. She could feel Tabatha's small body shaking in her arms as the Ministry snapped her wand and the Dementors came floating toward them.  
There was nothing to do about it; if Audrey wanted her sister to be safe they would have to leave everything behind.  
  
"Tabatha, could you go into the house and get your stuff together?" Audrey said, trying to disguise her panic behind a business like manner.  
  
Something in Audrey's voice must have belied her motives, because Tabatha didn't even protest. She rose slowly, her eyes never leaving her sister's, and turned toward the house. Audrey stood sentient in the midday sun, clenching and unclenching her fists as she fought between her head and her heart. Her head won, it always did. She buried Percy's well-defined features deep inside of herself and set her sights on a lifetime of safe, uneventful loneliness. At least she could keep Tabatha from further pain, and that's all she could allow herself to think of in that moment.  
  
When their belongings were gathered and a taxi called to take them to the plane that would take them to their uncle in Italy, Audrey sat at a writing desk to compose the hardest letter she would ever write. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see herself in an old English study…Anne Elliot, once again giving up her true love for the sake of practicality. The tears fell onto the paper as her shaking hands could write only a few lines.  
  
 _Percy,  
We flew too close to the sun and our wings melted.  
Always with love,  
Audrey_  
  
She left the note on the empty table, knowing Percy would see it there, and closed the small cottage door behind her. She took Tabatha's hand and walked to the end of the lane, where the taxi honked the horn impatiently. Audrey Oumessiane was leaving England behind, and with it, every last piece of her heart.

_put me on a page in a book of beginnings  
let me scroll me through old volumes of ancient teachings  
let me reveal in all of these forgotten feelings  
lay me with the wretched in the arms of my queen_

Things were slowly getting better. Percy had went to Shell Cottage for Christmas that year, still too afraid to go home, but trying desperately to at least feel some semblance of family in these dark times. He was working his way toward seeing his mother again, toward being worthy of the love he knew never stopped flowing for him. Audrey was on his mind in nearly every waking moment of every single day. She was what kept him going to work; she kept him fighting to get back in his family's good graces. Her captivating ivory face was tattooed on his eyelids, and her specter was almost real enough to touch in Percy's mind. He vowed to find her as soon as it was safe, even if he had to move the continents themselves to get to her.  
  
On February sixth, Percy passed his father in the hallways as he did every day. However, on that day, he heard Audrey's voice inside of his head.  
  
 _"Family is home, no matter how long you've been away or what you've done. Don't let it go."_  
  
Percy sucked in a deep breath, and turned to face his father's retreating form.  
  
"I hope you have a good birthday, father," Percy said, as loudly and as bravely as his quivering voice and his injured pride could muster.  
  
For a moment, Arthur was frozen, and then he slowly turned and faced Percy. His sharp blue eyes were slightly watered, and he was walking cautiously toward where Percy stood in the atrium. Percy knew it was dangerous, that he was supposed to be estranged from his family. That estrangement was keeping him relatively safe. However, Percy couldn't help it anymore. He needed to not feel so alone, he needed his family back.  
  
Arthur clasped Percy's hand for a very small moment, too quick for anyone to notice. "Birthday dinner at The Burrow at six," He whispered. "The wards will always let you in."  
  
And with that, Percy went one way and Arthur went the other, a smile forming on both of their faces.  
  
The rest of the day breezed by in a bevy of nerves and excitement, carefully covered by Percy's usual mask of decorum so as to not draw attention to himself. When he finally escaped the opulent prison that was The Ministry, Percy made his way for a Muggle curiosity shop he had often passed on the walk to his flat. A bright red toy train buzzed around a track set in the front window, and Percy's heart leapt. This device was most definitely electric, and would send his father into a joyful frenzy. Percy purchased it and had it wrapped immediately.  
  
Not being much of a cook, Percy decided to bring a bottle of mulled wine for the occasion. He felt a sinking sadness at the thought that he was buying a hostess gift for his mother, instead of coming home for another average night among his family. Percy was caught between two ways of being, two sides of his personality, and the absurdity of it was not lost on him. He thought back to the warmth of watching Audrey cook a meal in the small cottage and steeled his resolve. He reached into his pocket to gently touch the well-worn, single-lined letter she had left him. He would be worthy again…and then he would find her.  
  
Knocking on the door of The Burrow felt even more absurd, and Percy felt immensely relieved when Bill answered, Fleur looking like an elegant white leaf at the side of his tree-like form.  
  
"Come on in! Dinner is just about to be laid out. Mom has outdone herself this time," Bill smiled warmly, clapping Percy on the back as he walked in. Bill had become an easy friend in the past few months, letting Percy talk about Audrey at length, and encouraging him to find her when it was safe again.  
  
Percy took a seat at the table next to Bill, his brother serving as a wall of security in front of the scrutiny of the rest of his family. Charlie sat on the other side of him, not acknowledging he was there, but not begrudging him either. On the other side of the table, Remus and Tonks were leaned over in conversation, and Kingsley Shackelbolt gave a friendly nod in his direction. It was a small gathering, as Ginny was at school and Ron was…well…Ron was off being heroic somewhere, and Fred and George were in the middle of an important project and had come by earlier in the day, but Percy felt like it was the greatest celebration he had ever seen just at the feeling of contentment at being in his childhood home.  
  
His father took a seat at the head of the table, grinning beatifically at Percy. A soft creaking on the stairs told Percy that the only missing member was about to enter the room. His breath caught in his throat, and his body began to sweat. Percy shouldn’t feel so uncertain of his mother's reaction, but he had wronged her so thoroughly that he thought she might hex him right out of the house. Or worse, she would start crying, and Percy's self-loathing would reach new heights. Percy didn't even realize he was standing until his eyes took in the table, and found himself far above everyone else.  
  
When Molly Weasley rounded the corner into the kitchen, Percy's whole world stopped. This was his moment of truth, the moment when he knew if he was truly good or if his cold heart had just been kidding itself. When her soft, brown eyes lifted to his and she became inexorably still, Percy struggled to find words. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, wanted to beg her forgiveness, wanted to ask her what he could do to make it up to her.  
  
"Mother…I…" He started. Percy didn't need to say anything, though, as his mother's small feet immediately pattered across the wooden kitchen floor and carried herself to his side with remarkable speed. She reached up and cupped the side of his face, reaching up to place a gentle kiss on the other. Percy dropped every ounce of pretense he still held and scooped her into his arms. Her soft form, the smell of sweet food in her hair, and the gentle hum of her voice as she rubbed his back had flooded Percy with everything he had missed.  
  
"You don't need to say anything, my son," Molly whispered. She gave him one more squeeze and then proceeded to pass the numerous food filled plates down the table.  
  
Percy left that evening full of food, with frosting still on his lip. His mother stacked container upon container of leftover food into his arms, claiming as was her way that he was much too thin. He kissed her warmly, shook his father's hand while balancing the food in his other hand, and began to turn away with the promise of returning as soon as he could.  
  
"Percy, I should warn you, it wasn't safe for you to come here, and you shouldn't make a habit of it. You know we're all being watched, and I wouldn't want you to be hurt just to eat some of Molly's famous cooking. Try to use caution and only come when the coast is clear," Kingsley said in an authoritative voice.  
  
"Yes, dear. Please do be careful. I promise I will keep in touch with you and keep you posted if things get too dangerous," Molly said; worry mixing with joy on her features.  
  
"You just watch out for the Weasel Patronus, Son," Arthur said.  
  
Percy turned and left The Burrow, warm, content, and more hopeful than he had felt in months. When Audrey's haunting eyes entered his mind again, his heart didn’t rip out of his chest as it had so many times before. He ached for her, and longed to touch her smooth hair again, but now he had hope. If this war ever found it's end, Percy would find her, and introduce her to his mother.  
  
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Tuscany was exactly like every storybook and movie had made it sound and then some. In the months Audrey had spent living on it's gentle slopes and walking along it's rocky coast, she had fallen in love with the smell of the air and the feel of the sun on her skin. Sometimes, when the sun was particularly bright, Audrey would close her eyes and imagine that the orange color of the inside of her eyelids was Percy, finding her and holding her tightly in his arms. Audrey would fight off thoughts of him when she could, but on occasion she welcomed him into her head, an escape from her lonely reality.  
  
Her Uncle Kipling was a winemaker in Italy, owning a large vineyard just outside of Siena. He welcomed his sister's daughters into his home with opened arms, his jolly countenance immediately making Audrey and Tabatha more at ease. Unknown to Audrey, Uncle Kipling had been searching for her and her sister after he was notified of his sister's death. It felt good to be in the welcome and loving arms of family, and Audrey could often push aside the pangs of heartache that threatened to engulf her when she would see things like Tabatha run among the grape vines, giggling as her uncle’s Boxer Dog, Captain barked after her playfully.  
  
A bachelor by choice, her uncle Kipling lived in a large, terra cotta colored villa on a hill overlooking his operation. While he had no wife or children, he had many animals to care for and considered his grapes and his wine as important as his children. In evenings, when the sweet Mediterranean breezes would blow up to the hills, Kipling would sit and sip on his fresh made wines in a white linen suit, stroking his mustache and explaining his business to Audrey. She was content, provided for, and most importantly safe in her new Italian home.  
  
In the mornings, Audrey would ride her bicycle down he ancient streets and into the market, picking out cheeses and breads for lunch and meats for the evening meals. She enjoyed her bike rides and her hours in the kitchen cooking for her small family, as it left her alone with her thoughts. She would often wonder if Percy was happy, if he had moved on, and if he was still alive and well in that dark world he called home. Audrey spent most of her time alone, reading, despite the house buzzing with workers and merchants at every hour of the day. She never picked up an Austen book, though, the pull being too hard on her straining heart.  
  
Tabatha had developed an attachment to Uncle Kipling's chief crop overseer, Helena, and spent her days following the middle aged Italian woman around the vineyard. Audrey would peek over the hills every so often just to ensure that her sister was safe, but knowing she always would be, nestled away in the remote hills of Italy. On this particular day, Tabatha and Helena were running up to the house with bottles in their hands, ready to fill them for Uncle Kipling to sample. Audrey stopped them at the kitchen for some bread and cheese before going on about their business.  
  
Helena thanked her and took her seat, opening up an Italian Vogue and leisurely spreading some Brie onto a slice of bruschetta. Tabatha busied herself with a small sketchbook, drawing Helena with remarkable talent. When Helena lifted her magazine closer to her face, a yellowing newspaper fell out of the magazine. Before she could pick it up, Tabatha had grabbed it and shrieked with delight.  
  
"The Prophet! Audrey, you used to read this!" Tabatha said, her eyes immediately pouring over the moving pictures.  
  
"Wait, you two are…" Helena started, but her voice began to fade away as the headline of the paper created a fog in Audrey's head.  
  
 _“Wizarding World honors the Fallen:  
In the aftermath of the fall of The Dark Lord, families such as The Weasleys and The Creeveys make arrangements to mourn their losses"._  
  
Audrey snatched the paper out of Tabatha's hand, desperately reading the article for any sign of her worst fears. The words danced in incomprehensible jumbles across the page, and Audrey’s shaking hands could barely keep things steady for long enough to make out any of the words. All she could think of was the worst, and only the worst seem to bounce off of the page. The entire world faded away as she drowned herself in the spinning headline and moving pictures of torn down buildings and smoldering rubble.  
  
“…Weasley…found dead at the hands…Battle of Hogwarts…remembered by parents…five brothers and one sister…”  
  
“Oh God! Oh God! What did I do? Why did I go? Oh Percy!” Audrey was on her hands and knees on the cement floor of the villa, her breath barely reaching her lungs.  
  
As the world began to spin around, Helena knelt down and gently touched Audrey’s face, bringing her out of her panicked state. She helped Audrey up into a chair, where Tabatha promptly leaned on her shoulder, holding her and begging to know what was wrong. Audrey didn’t have the heart to tell her. She couldn’t form the words on her lips to tell Tabatha her friend was dead.  
  
“Audrey, do you know one of these wizards?” Helena said gently, her full, red lips drawing focus from between Audrey’s tears. At the word wizard, Tabatha gasped. She hadn’t heard even a whisper of the magical world since they left England, and now it was falling in their laps. All Audrey could do was nod at Helena. She carefully read the article.  
  
“Colin Creevey, aged 16, died fighting Lord…um…He Who Must Not Be Named at the Battle of Hogwarts,” Helena said. Audrey just froze. “The Weasley family grieves the loss of their beloved son,” At this, Audrey began to tremble and cry.  
  
“Percy?” Tabatha said, her own voice beginning to whimper. “You shouldn’t have left him Audrey! You shouldn’t have! You think that keeping me away from who I am is going to keep me safe? You are wrong! I’m special! You’re special! And Percy was very special!” Tabatha was shouting, her face bright red and her voice croaking with the strain even as Audrey sobbed louder.  
  
“Girls!” Helena shouted. Audrey and Tabatha turned back to her, both of their eyes puffy and red.  
  
“Fred Weasley was found dead at the hands of Augustus Rookwood on May 2nd, during the Battle of Hogwarts. He is remembered by his parents Molly and Arthur, as well as five brothers and one younger sister. Memorial services will be held at the Weasley family home, The Burrow, this Tuesday at 12pm. All who wish to pay tribute are welcome,” Helena finished slowly, looking up at Audrey, as though afraid she would go off again at any moment.  
  
“It’s not Percy…he’s okay…” Audrey started, finally sitting fully on the floor to gain her bearings. “Is he? Was he fighting? Is he hurt? Oh God! Why did I leave him?”  
  
Tabatha rubbed her hand gently up and down Audrey’s back. She looked up at her little sister’s concerned face, and knew why she had left. She knew that Tabatha was to be kept safe at any cost, but how can being denied who she really is be good for her? Audrey felt lost, her life over the past few months had been calm and safe, but seriously devoid of something. The hole in her heart couldn’t take any more strain, and worry for Percy was now engulfing every nerve in her body.  
  
“Audrey, ma bella, you are eighteen years old, not forty. You’re doing your best for Tabatha, but you shouldn’t be sacrificing your own future. By the look on your face, you left a lover behind just to avoid the oncoming war. I left nothing behind. I came here to stay out of trouble, and I did. But now the trouble is over. If I had left someone in the midst of a war, you better believe I would be looking for him right now!” Helena said, a soft, wise smile on her face.  
  
“I can’t…we can’t,” Audrey started, looking at Tabatha.  
  
“Yes, you can. I will keep an eye on Tabatha here. You need to go and find this Percy. Just come back here when you’re ready. Kipling and I are more than capable.” Helena put an arm around Tabatha and they both nodded.  
  
Audrey was struck at how old Tabatha had gotten. She was eight when Tabatha was born, and Audrey spent her life making sure her little sister’s world was always grand. Now, Tabatha was nearly ready for school and gazing at her sister like the hardest choice in her life was an obvious one: Love always wins.  
  
With written instructions from Helena, Audrey made her way to the nearest international apparation point, flaming red hair and sharp penetrating eyes invading her senses.  
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 _so long sweet misery  
I don't need you  
you've only caused me grief  
forgive me if I fall asleep  
I haven't slept in centuries_

Percy banged his head roughly against the old oak tree that stood at the far end of the yard. He couldn’t even feel the bark cutting into his head, or the rough impact of the wood against his skull, he just knew that feeling any pain would be better than the blackness inside of his own mind. His mind kept repeating the same words over and over again: _“It’s your fault. You should be dead, not him.”_

Those words cut him like a knife sharply across the chest, but nothing was ever more true in Percy’s mind. He couldn’t even bring himself to join the service he couldn't sit in those pathetic little folding chairs, fold his hands in his lap, and nod quietly as people talked of their fondest memories of Fred. Percy was an intruder on the earnest mourning. He didn't belong there. He didn’t deserve to tell his stories of Fred's life, because it was his fault Fred's life was taken from him. Percy deserved only to sit, to hold his grief closely to himself, and watch as others found healing and said their goodbyes to Fred. Percy could never say goodbye to Fred, the pain would always be there, reminding him of what he had done and what it had cost his family.  
  
Percy threaded his hands in his hair and pulled as hard as he could, hoping that any sensation would get through to his numb body. He could feel his arms shaking with strain, but he refused to remove himself from the shadows of the tree. He sat there, rocking back and forth, until the mourners began to file out of their seats and make their way over to the food that had been set out on tables alongside the house. It had been three days since Percy had eaten, but he wouldn't dare eat now. He was hoping that maybe his body and soul would allow himself to starve to death. He barely registered the sound of apparation, assuming that people were now leaving the procession.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Audrey's goodbye. The well-worn piece of parchment nearly burned his hands and Percy read the words over and over again…a masochistic penance for all of his perceived wrongs. His desire to find Audrey had faded with the notion that she was better off without him. He spent so long trying to better himself, trying to make amends, and none of it measured up to the larger things in life. Fred was still gone, and it still should have been Percy. He curled himself into a ball and leaned more fully against the tree.  
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_"The Burrow…The Burrow…The Burrow…."_  
Audrey repeated the words over and over again in her mind, focusing on the picture in the paper. She had finally made it to London, and from there she could apparate to Percy's family home. She only hoped he would be there, and not laid up in a hospital somewhere…or worse, buried. The international apparation process had been surprisingly easy; despite using Helena's wand and being horribly out of practice. At each point, she stated her business to the official, and she was quickly on her way. As the familiar squeeze of apparation compressed and uncompressed her lungs, Audrey found herself landing softly on a patch of new spring grass, face to face with a tall, lanky, ginger man.

"Hullo," He said. His eyes were puffy and red, but his mouth of full of food.

"Hi. I'm Audrey," She started, her lips quivering. She wasn't sure if she could explain herself to someone who was obviously Percy's brother.

"Oh, it's alright! We'll all miss him. I will say, there seem to be an awful lot of girls here, though," The young man said, taking another generous bite of scone. "Ron Weasley," he smiled, reaching out a slightly crumb-ridden hand to her.

"Hi. I'm Audrey," She said again, her voice catching in her throat.

"I gathered…" Ron started, looking at her strangely.

"Is he…your brother…is Percy here?" Audrey managed to finally breathe out.

"Oh, Percy? I'm pretty sure he's here. I hope he's still here. Poor bugger," Ron said, looking incredibly sad and a little worried.

"Oh god! He's not hurt is he?" Audrey cried, bringing her hands to her mouth.

"Just a few mild war wounds, but he's a bit…" Ron began to explain, but at that moment, Audrey saw a flash of orange hair out of the corner of her eye. Below an oak tree on the other end of the yard was Percy. Audrey's feet could not take her there fast enough.

Percy didn’t seem to hear her, even as her feet were clapping along the dew-wet grass. When she was a few feet away from him, she froze. His body was shaking violently with sobs and he was rocking back and forth. He had his long, thin arms wound around his knees, and collapsed in one hand was the note she had left him on the day he left. She could hear his voice crackle and strain as he fought to control his cries.

She walked carefully; like if her footfalls remained heavy, the glass man before her would shatter and she'd never be able to pick up the pieces in time. She kneeled onto the grass next to him, ignoring the twigs that were digging into her denim-covered legs. She took a moment to keep herself from crying, wiping her eyes and breathing deeply. Then, she very slowly reached her hand out and put it over Percy's hand on his head.

His entire body seemed to lurch in the opposite direction, like someone had touched him with the burning end of a torch. His bloodshot eyes met hers and Audrey had to keep from gasping. His face was pale and gaunt, his red eyes sinking into to his bony features. There was a thick, pink scar running across his neck, just above where a slice could kill him, and another scar near his ear on the left side of his face. Audrey couldn't fathom what could have done this to him, and she hated herself even more for leaving Percy to this mess on his own. She moved on her knees closer to him, even as he was leaning away from her.

"Percy, please…" Audrey begged. She wanted to ask him what happened to him, wanted to know why his brother was dead, and most importantly, wanted to know why he was alone and away from his family during such an awful time. She could only get as far as please before her sobs threatened to take her again.

"He's dead…he's dead and it should be me. I was the one who left them behind for my own selfish reasons. I was the one who didn’t come around in the last second. I was the one who worked at that terrible place," Percy whispered, hiding his eyes from her.

"Oh Percy, you don't deserve to feel this way. Please, Percy, let me touch you. I need to touch you. I need to look in your eyes," Audrey said, putting a hand on his face. He turned his head away from her.

"You were right to go. You're too good for all of this," Percy said, indicating himself. He met her eyes, then, and the pain in them was so palpable it ripped at Audrey. Not caring whether Percy felt he deserved it or not, Audrey launched at him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I love you, Percy. I love you so much. I should have never left. I was foolish and paranoid and I was so lost! I'm not leaving you again, even if you say I should," Audrey cried, clinging to Percy even more tightly.

"I'm a coward! I'm an arrogant prat! I don't talk to him for so long, then I show up at the battle, crack a ridiculous joke and he dies! He fucking dies smiling at me!" Percy is shouting now, but Audrey is gripping his robes as tightly as she can, not letting him flail away from her.

She put his hands on his face and turned his sharp eyes toward hers. She couldn’t find her words anymore, not in the midst of all of his pain, but she still had him near her, and she was going to try to bring him back from the brink. She let her eyes bore into his, never faltering. She needed him to see what was there, to know that she could never leave him again. His anguish melted into uncertainty, and then his features seemed to morph into a sad relief. Audrey knew she had him and she pulled his head into the crook of her neck.

He wrapped his hands in her blouse, and his body shook even as she pressed hers fully against his. When his cries began to subside, she felt his lips kiss up and down her exposed neck and along her jaw line. When his lips pressed against hers, Audrey felt like they were both being doused in cool water, relief spreading through her veins. Percy's hands grabbed her face and his thumbs slowly danced circles on her burning cheeks. She belonged in his arms, no matter what state he was in.

"You came back," Percy finally croaked.

"I should have never left," Audrey whispered, kissing him again.

A resounding boom shot across the sky just as the sun was setting. Audrey nearly leapt out of her skin, falling into Percy's lap. He chuckled lightly and held her close to him, waving his wand to part the tree branches. The sky was lit up with fiery lights of all shapes and sizes, with dragons and phoenixes flying over their heads and down through the captivated crowd. The onslaught of fireworks continued relentlessly, and Audrey found herself smiling along with Percy's water grins as the lights danced in front of them.

"Fred and George created these," Percy said, with a sad fondness that Audrey found heartbreaking and poetic.

"Oh Percy! There you are! Come up to the house and get a better look at these lovely things. We're about to do the grand finale. You should see what George…" Molly Weasley stopped dead in her tracks at the site of Percy's arms wrapped tightly around Audrey.

"Mother, this is Audrey," Percy said, standing and putting his arm around her. Audrey took Mrs. Weasley's hand in hers, looking over to see Percy looking contented and accomplished.

The walked to the house in companionable silence as the fireworks whizzed around them. When the grand finale was launched, Percy pulled Audrey to him and kissed her passionately, kissed her like she was his only link to life. He didn’t falter until catcalls began to sound from a red haired crowd of people behind them. Percy pulled back, a blush rising on his cheeks, and proceeded to bow majestically.

Audrey joined him, curtseying for his family. For the first time in many dark months, Audrey felt safe, contented, and hopeful.  


End file.
